Sometimes the players deserve the credit, and there was no shortage of star power on display in the Penguins’ 5-3 victory against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena.

The guy standing behind the bench is a star, too.

Mike Sullivan is pushing all the right buttons and, while the Penguins are still only four points from being out of the playoff picture in the outrageously competitive Eastern Conference, they’ve also moved within four points of the Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

Sullivan’s decisions — and the work of his staff during the injury-ravaged past few weeks — simply can’t be ignored.

Perhaps the season’s turning point came 10 days ago on a flight from Buffalo to Montreal. The Penguins had just lost in overtime and were out of the playoff picture. Sullivan’s initial plan was to start Casey DeSmith in Buffalo. For all of Matt Murray’s undeniable...